'Bung' money was for ice cream parlour, says Pakistan cricket captain

The Pakistan captain accused of fixing cricket matches today admitted he took £2,500 worth of "bung" money by his agent - but said he thought it was a payment for opening an ice cream parlour.

Salman Butt, 27, claimed he had no idea that the News of the World had paid £150,000 to his agent, Mazhar Majeed, to arrange three no balls to be bowled at the Lord's Test last year.

After the first day of the game - when two of the deliberate "fixed" balls had been delivered - Majeed met with Butt and gave him a bundle of £50 notes, which had been secretly marked.

Giving evidence at the cricket corruption trial, Butt said it was an innocent payment promised previously for agreeing to cut the ribbon at the Afters ice cream parlour, in Tooting, which was part-owned by Majeed. Butt was due to open the shop after the match, he told the court.

Asked if he knew anything about the fixing deal done to bowl deliberate no balls, Butt said "not at all"

Ali Bajwa, QC, representing Butt at Southwark Crown Court, has said the conspiracy to bowl no balls was organised between Majeed and the teenage opening bowler Mohammad Amir - without the captain's knowledge.

However Butt admitted yesterday that the agent repeatedly asked him to fix Test matches and limited over games across the world.

Butt said that Majeed approached him about "spot-fixing" a game in the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, and continued to pursue him throughout Pakistan's tour of England last year.

He insisted that he ignored all the corrupt requests and said he dismissed them as Majeed just "showing off".

The player admits he failed to report Majeed to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, breaching his contractual obligation, because he did not want to lose his friendship.

Butt and Mohammad Asif deny conspiracy to cheat and accepting corrupt payments in the Lord's Test last year. The case continues.